[Perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis in visceral surgery--pro and contra]

Perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis aims at reducing the enormous cost of hospital-acquired infections. Primary indications for antibiotic prophylaxis are wounds of the clean-contaminated and contaminated category. Use of antibiotic prophylaxis in clean surgery is still very controversial. To be effective, the antibiotic must be given in the period immediately before incision. A single-dose application is at least as effective as a multiple-dose regimen. Second-generation cephalosporins are still the main stay of antibiotic prophylaxis. In colorectal surgery they should be combined with, e.g., Metronidazol.